380 
result of abnormal conditions of nutrition which was not easily 
orcertainly tobe produced. These sub-maximal contractions and 
the irregular pulse, were chiefly observed when passing a current 
of asphyxiated blood through the heart, but they always dis- 
appeared on supplying the heart with fresh blood. 
Physical Society, January 19.—Prof, Roeber in the chair.— 
Prof. Schwalbe supplemented his former communications to 
the Society on ice-caves, wtth additional facts he had recently 
come to know through literature. He noted, as a most inter- 
esting phenomenon, that the occurrence of ice-caves was not 
confined to limestones, basalts, and lavas, but that they have 
also been observed in gypsum-hills. Thus, in the gypsum-hill 
Iletzkaja Satscha, in the Southern Ural, is an ice-cave which 
Murchison visited in August ; situated in the street, it was closed 
with a simple wooden door, and it was utilised by the inhabitants 
of the district as a store-room. Its temperature was so low that 
the drinks kept in it only a short distance from the mouth were 
frozen. And as with all other cayes distinguished by their low 
temperature and ice-formation, it was stated of this one, that in 
winter the air in it was very warm, so that people slept 
in it at night without requiring their sheep-skin furs. Murchi- 
son had applied to Sir John Herschel for an_explana- 
tion of the phenomenon, and Herschel had offered the 
hypothesis, that it was a case of cold and heat waves, which, 
penetrating inwards from the surface of the earth, were retarded, 
and so caused the low temperature in summer and the warmth 
in winter. Prof. Schwalbe, however, has convinced himself 
that this explanation is inadequate; for the summers in which 
ice-caves have been visited and found filled with ice, have been 
preceded by very mild winters, eg. the winter 1881-2 was very 
mild, yet the ice-cave in bohemia, which he had himself visited, 
was covered with ice; besides, the retardation of cold several 
months is very improbable. Before a sufficient explanation of 
thee peculiar conditions of temperature can be reached, con- 
tinuous scientific observations must be made, for a long time, of 
the course of the temperature throughout the year. As to the 
warmth of air in the caves in winter, and the melting of the ice 
in winter, there are only observations by lay-persons, which, 
however, strikingly agree, even in the assertion that the ice- 
formation regularly takes place on a large scale in the month of 
May. With regard to the immediate cause of the ice formation 
no one (according to the author) can be in doubt, who has 
visited an ice-cave, and seen how the dropping water from the 
roof solidifies directly on falling. Water that has trickled 
through is over-cooled, and solidifies just as after falling to 
the ground, even when it meets a different solid body; the 
ice, further, is only met with where water drops. The strong 
cooling of the water and of the rock through which it has 
trickled, is, perhaps, connected with the process of filtration 
through the earth-strata. On this point experimental research 
must decide, following up the investigation made by Jungk in 
1865, who observed a lowering of temperature in filtration of 
water through porous partitions. Such laboratory experiments, 
exact long-continued temperature-observations in accessible ice- 
caves, and topographical examinations of as many as possible of 
these caves (which are not rare), will surely bring about a solu- 
tion of this still obscure natural problem. 
PARIS 
Academy of Sciences, February 5.—M. Blanchard in the 
chair.—The following papers were read :—On the physical and 
mechanical con-titution of the sun (third and last part), by M. 
Faye. He deals with the depth of spots, the movements of 
hydrogen and their effects, the height of protuberances and an 
illusion attending them, the clouds of the photosphere, &c.—M. 
Hirn presented an analysis of a érechure by himself and M. 
Hollauer. ‘‘ Refutations of a second critique of M. G. Zeuner.” 
It relates to the theory of steam-engines.—On the spherical 
representation of surfaces, by M. Darboux.—On the functions 
satisfying the equation AF = o, by M. Appell.—On the dis- 
placement of the sodium lines, observed in the spectrum of the 
great comet of 1882, by MM. Thollon and Guy. From the 
displacement ob erved with a single-prism spectroscope, he had 
estimated the rate of recession of the comet at from 61 to 76 
km. per second. This is confirmed by M. Bigourdan, who, 
from a determination of the trajectory of the comet, estimates 
the velocity at the time in question (3 p.m. on September 18) 
at 73 km. The spectroscope is thus shown to be reliable 
for the purpose referred to.—Magnetic action of the sun 
NATURE 
[ Fed. 15, 1883 
and the planets; it does not produce secular variation in 
the great axes of orbits: note by M. Quet.—The distriku- 
tion of energy in the solar spectrum and chlorophyll, by M. 
Timiriazeff. Prof. Langley finds, with his bolometer, the maxi- 
mum of radiant energy in the orange, precisely that part of 
the spectrum which corresponds to the characteristic band of 
chlorophyll. M. Timiriazeff is studying the quantitative rela- 
tion between solar energy absorbed by the chlorophyll of a leaf 
and that stored up through chemical work produced. It appears 
that the leaf can transform into useful work as much as 40 per 
cent. of the energy absorbed.—On some combinations of sul- 
phite of magnesia with alkaline sulphites, by M. Gorgeu.—On 
hydraulic silica; reply to M. Le Chatelier, by M. Landrin.— 
On the mutual displacements of bases in neutral salts, the sys- 
tems remaining homogeneous, by M. Menschutkine.—The 
microbes of marine fishes, by MM. Olivier and Richet. In all 
the fishes they examined (about 150) there were, in the perito- 
neal liquid, the lymph, the blood, and consequently in the tissues, 
microbes more or less numerous, having all the characters of 
terrestrial microbes, and reproducing similarly. Besides direct 
observation, the authors had recourse to experiments (1) of cul- 
tivation, (2) of occlusion. (In the latter case the fishes, or parts 
of them, were put into melted paraffine, which, after solidi- 
fying, was coated with several layers of collodion and 
Canada balsam, to protect from atmospheric germs. In 
a few weeks microbes were always abundantly developed.) 
The organisms were mostly Sacz//us.—On the reaction-time of 
olfactory sensations, by M. Beaunis. He gives numerical results 
for this quantity (which is the time between sense-excitation 
and the moment when the person indicates bya signal that he 
has experienced the sensation) in the case of ten substances : 
ammonia, acetic acid, camphor, &c. They range from 37 to 
to 67 hundredths of a second. The time is longer than that for 
tactile, visual, and auditory sensations (in the author’s case shorter 
than for tactile sensations).—On the respiration of aquatic plants 
or submerged aquatic-aérial plants, by M. Barthelemy. He 
considers the phenomena brought forward as proof and measure 
of the chlorophyllian function merely exceptional, and produced 
by the mode of experimentation. Under normal conditions, 
the special respiration of green organs cannot have the universal 
importance attributed to it.—Note on the morphologival nature 
of the aérial branches of adult Psz/otum, by M. Bertrand.—In- 
fluence of temperature on the production of wheat, by M. Du- 
chaussoy. He gives in a table the yield of wheat in the depart- 
ment of Cher, and the mean temperature of spring and summer, 
from 1872 to 1881. The descending scale of the yield is nearly 
that of the mean temperature of summer. The years 1873 and 
1876 are exceptions, and their small yield is explained by the 
dryness of the summer. 
CONTENTS 
Tue Tertiary History OF THE GRAND CANon District. By Dr. 
Pace 
ARCHES GEYIKIE SROs. cc) cate) i) Meunier: lie) SiR ean 357 
CENTRAL ‘ASIA.” By AS Hi-KRANES 5502 5 eo 4 359 
PHYSIGAEIOETIGS «Mico ewe hips Wed eee otha tee: = + 362 
Our Boox SHELF:— 
«othe Near-Book of Pharmacy). «)ce) =! is) <1 ll sine) seo 
“Mémoires de la Socié:é des Sciences Physiques et Naturelles de 
(Bordeanxs 3, 1s Lcplc-at mee Ga Me) Low oT eC ny cite . 362 
LxTTeERs To THE EpDITOR:— 
Natural Selection and Natural Theology—Dr. Grorce J. Ro- 
MANES, ERIS); JuBsEUANNAY, RoR ooss («oc el iol eomen anne 
Two Kinds of Stamens with Different Functions in the Same 
Flower.—Dr. Fritz MULLER (W2th Jilustrations). . . . . 364 
The Markings on Jupiter.—W. F. DenninG (With Illustration). 365 
Meteor of November 17.—H. Dennis TaYLoR . . . - «© « + 365 
Aino Ethnology.—Dr, J. J. REIN. . - . - + + 2 + « « 365 
Hovering of Birds —J-R. . . - . es we ee ts 366 
Intelligence in Animals.—Dr. J. Rar, F.R.S.; D. Prpczon . . 3 
The Sea Serpent.—Dr J. Raz, F.R-S. . 2. » - - « + « « 366 
The “' Zoological Record.”"—Sypngey J. Hickson . . . «+ . 366 
S1eve-TuBes Tee oes ss OL Sk 
CassELv’s NaturRAL History (W2th Jilustrations) . . +. +. . 367 
Tue CONDENSATION OF Liquip Firms on WETTED Soups. By J. 
WiGEARKS ute Sys way enue eee Pia! uci y > 
Tue STrocKHOLM ETHNOGRAPHICAL Exn1BITION.—Dr, A. B. MEYER 371 
BARON MIKLOUHO-MACLAY> 6 4. ).° 5. oc ete ee teme sin) fo 371 
NU Cp i rh ee Ses ck me cyt 
Our AsTRONOMICAL COLUMN :— 
The Gomet of'r77r - - . . + = = 5 374 
The Cassini Division of Saturn’s Ring . Ae or = 974 
On THE CHEMICAL Corrosion oF Catuopes. By G. Gors, LL.D., 
ARIS oo a car) Zens peu eee ie ee Mes phe « ste’: elie ba IO 
Tue MovEeMENTS OF AIR IN FISSURES AND THE BAROMETER. By A. 
STRAHANI cote? 98 cto eee ree EE Celtce™ “oY aire of ae RTS 
SocieT1ES AND ACADEMIES . - + - + + © + «© @ 376 
